Commuters speak out about overcrowding in the North of England

PASSENGERS commuting to cities in the north of England have spoken out about their overcrowded peak-hour trains in the National Passenger Survey (NPS) published on 26 January 2011.

The independent passenger watchdog’s latest research has revealed only two out of five passengers travelling to Manchester Oxford Road are satisfied with room on the train. Scores plummeted to 28% satisfaction for the journey home.

Passenger Focus’s NPS has found that satisfaction with room to sit or stand for morning commuters travelling into Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool Lime Street is significantly worse than the national average.  In the afternoon, it is passengers travelling from Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield who are least satisfied.

Ashwin Kumar, Passenger Focus rail director, said:- “Passengers are seriously dissatisfied with overcrowding into and out of our major cities in the north of England.  Anybody who has to commute into these cities knows how bad many of these services can be.  Only a few extra carriages would go a long way to alleviating the problem.”

Commenting on the fact that overcrowding statistics are only published for train companies operating in London and the South East, he added:-  “In these times of spending restraint, it is absolutely critical that there is transparency about the problem.  We need to know where and when the problem is most severe so we can be sure that additional carriages are going where they are most needed.  So we welcome the government’s commitment to introduce a national measure of overcrowding.”

1. Station results cover the last four waves of the National Passenger Survey

2. Passenger Focus’ latest National Passenger Survey results are available from:- passengerfocus.org.uk/nps

- Nearly 31,000 passengers were surveyed in the Autumn 2010 wave of the National Passenger Survey. Two waves (Spring and Autumn) are conducted each year.

- The National Passenger Survey provides a network-wide picture of passengers’ satisfaction with rail travel. Passenger opinions of train services are collected twice a year from a representative sample of passenger journeys

- Passengers’ overall satisfaction and satisfaction with 30 specific aspects of service can therefore be compared over time. A new question looking at overall satisfaction with the station was also added to the questionnaire in Autumn 2010.

- Ratings for each individual Train Operating Company are available, as well as ratings for each sector, i.e. London and the South East, long distance and regional operators.

- The Autumn 2010 survey took place between 2 September and 26 November 2010.

City pays tribute to Holocaust victims

LIVERPOOL will unite this week to remember those who suffered at the hands of the Nazis.

Two special events will take place on Thursday, 27 January 2011, which marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Hazel Williams, will join the leader of the council, Councillor Joe Anderson, leader of the opposition, Councillor Warren Bradley and Senior Rabbi for the Merseyside Jewish community M L Cofnas at a wreath laying ceremony in St John’s Gardens, in memory of all those who lost their lives during the Holocaust and other acts of genocide.

The group will then move on to the Town Hall where pupils from King David High School will sing as 250 guests light candles as a tribute to all those who suffered.

During her speech to the congregation, the Lord Mayor will pay tribute to Eric Strach – a Holocaust survivor who lived in the city and recently passed away.

Councillor Williams said:- “Holocaust Memorial Day is an extremely important event and as a city we vow to always remember those who suffered and died during this atrocity and other acts of genocide. It’s essential we do as much as we can to make sure future generations never forget what happened, and this day gives us the opportunity to promote understanding and awareness of this dark time in our history. Both events will be extremely poignant and it’s important we bring together people of all faiths and ages to learn the lessons of history.”

The theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘Untold Stories’ and following prayers and a minute silence, a special presentation will take place which will involve Gosia McKane from Merseyside Polonia who will tell untold Holocaust stories from Poland and pupils from the Enterprise Academy School will give a presentation on their recent visit to Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam.

The Town Hall service will acknowledge all victims of Nazi persecution as well as other more recent Genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Members of local communities will be present including Philomene Uwamaliya, a survivor from Rwanda.

The event marks the 66th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi extermination camp, Auschwitz.

Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest Nazi killing camp, where approximately 1.1 million men, women and children were murdered.

Twofour Broadcast are looking for Family run businesses for a new BBC2 programme!

THE Family business, once a staple of British industry, is disappearing. Although two thirds of UK industry is made up of family business, fewer than 13% survive beyond the second generation.

A generation ago, family firms were thriving and the heirs were jumping at the chance of income, job security and ultimately the sense of pride of taking over the family legacy. But nowadays the future of family businesses is not so certain, children are choosing to follow their own career paths and are more reluctant to carry on the legacy and tradition of the family business.

Each year 30,000 businesses close because they can’t find someone to take over. With the help of a leading business expert, the new programme will guide and advise family businesses on how best to plan for the future and preserve the legacy of previous generations, whilst also looking at ways to improve the business and make sure it’s a success for years to come.

Twofour want to hear from struggling family businesses who are finding it tough in the current economic climate and who are uncertain about the future of their business. Maybe their children have decided to take a different career path or maybe they work for the business but how and when to let them take the reins is a difficult issue.

To find out more please contact Naomi on:- 0207 438 1812 or email:- familybusinesses@twofour.co.uk.